Knitting-machine



UNTTED sTATEs PATENT cerros.

A. FRENCH, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

KNITTIN'G-MACHINE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent No.

To all whom it may concer/n.'

Be it known that I, ARAsMUs FRENCH, of the city of Vaterbury, in thecounty of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented a new anduseful Improvementin Knitting\/Iacliines; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of theconstruction, character, and operation of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which make a part of this specification,in

Figure 1 is a perspect-ive view of the machine ready for use. Fig. 2 isa view of a section of the same, cut vertically through the center. Fig.3 is a longitudinal section of one of the clamps, or hoop holders, el,CZ, d, d, Fig. 1.

My improvement consists in constructing the machine in a circular form,with an opening in the center, in which an open hoop, (onto which thestitches are looped,) is suspended, when it is sustained by clamps, orholders, in such a manner that two will sustain it at all times, and yetthey will be so opened and closed, by means of an eccentric and canis,)as to allow the loops, or stitches, to slide along to feed the work, andin the manner of taking the loop from one point of the hoop, and forminga new stitch on the other point, by the use of a needle with the eyenear the point, (similar to those used in many sewing machines,) whilethe operation of the needle will feed the work, and the manner ofcausing the needle to take up two loops, (by the motion of the arch bar,which supports the needle in the center,) for the purpose of narrowing,and in so constructing it, that the needle will knit equally well eitherway, for any desired lengt-h of time, by simply reversing the motion ofthe crank, so that it is perfectly convenient for knitting heels ofstocking.

I make the frame, A, A, A, of iron or any other suitable material,substantially in the shape, or form, represented in Fig. 1.

I make the open hoop, a, a, Figs. 1, and 2, of round wire, in the shapeof a circle, eX- cept where it is open, where I bend the ends outward,substantially in the shape shown at Z), and c, Fig. 1, both ends beingbent to the same shape, so as to serve the same purpose as the ends ofthe common knitting needles used by hand, for forming the 13,750, datedNovember 6, 1855.

stitch.) I suspend this hoop, a, a, in clamps or holders, d, d, d, el,in such a manner that two of the clamps, on opposite sides of thecircle, will hold, or sustain, the hoop, while the clamps will bealternately opened so as to allow the work to be fed, in eitherdirection.

I make the holders, or clamps, d, CZ, d, d, of two parts, (Z, and e, asrepresented, in section, in Fig. 3, and hold them in their places byscrews passing through slots, as seen at f, f, Fig. 3, so that bothparts may receive a longitudinal motion to open and close them. `Toclose the clamps, I use india rubber, or any other suitable springs, asshown at g, g, g, g, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, attached to two pins, orprojections, one of which is secured firmly in each part, as seen nearg, Fig. 3, and to open the clamps, I use wedge-shaped cams, (as h, h, h,la) attached to a circle B, Fig. 1, (which receives a reciprocatingcircular motion from an eccentric seen at C, Fig. 2.) The points ofthese wedges pass through transverse slots in the part, e, of theclamps, and force it back, and at t-he same time press against thestuds, or projections, z', Fig. 3, and thus open the clamps, and whenthe wedges are withdrawn the springs, g, will close them again, so thatthey will be alternately opened and closed at every stitch, and so that,while two of them are holding the hoop, a, (L, perfectly secure, theother two will be open, and allow the work to be gradually fed by theoperation of the needle, in taking off the loops.

I make the needle, D, with the eye near the point, (substantially in theform used in many of the sewing machines now in common use) and attachit to a needle holder, or bar, E, substantially as shown in section inFig. 2. I support this needle bar in a hollow socket, 7c, Figs. 1, and2, which is secured to the arch bar, F, Fig. 1, by a oint pin, or screw,Z, Fig. 2, so as to allow it a perfectly free motion in all directions,so as to knit from either point of the hoop at pleasure. I give both alongitudinal and lateral motion (which produces a circular motion) totheneedle, by means of a crank pin, or screw, m, set eccentric to thecircle, G, which also works on the eccentric, or crank, C, so as to givea double eccentric motion, the whole being moved by a bevel gear wheel,H, working in a pinion, I, Fig.

2, which is secured immovably on its shaft,

so that its crank, C, gives motion to all parts of the machine.

For narrowing, I have the arch bar, F, fitted so as to be movablelongitudinally, by means of the jointed piece, K, working against theslide, n, or drawing it back by the bar, p, which is effected by a pin,or pins, o, set in the holes in the face of the circle, L. This circleis revolved, either way by means of a tooth, or projection, g, Figs. 1,and 2, on the eccentric block, C, Fig. 2, and I use as many pins as Idesire to narrow times in knitting around, and place them in theappropriate holes to narrow at the desired point. As this arch bar, F,sustains the needle holder, it is apparent that a slight longitudinalmotion, either way (as the machine works either way) will cause theneedle to take two loops from the point of the hoop at once, and makebut one stitch from them.

The teeth on the circle M, Figs. l and 2, tend to steady the work, andcause the loops to pass around even, and the pinions at s and a", serveto keep the loops separate while knitting, so that the point of theneedle will take each loop, in plain knitting (or two loops innarrowing,) as desired.

Having thus constructed the machine, I loop the work onto the hoop, passthe yarn through the eye of the needle, (attaching it to the loops,) andapply the power to the crank, N, (or use any other power,) and revolvethe wheel, O, (which carries with it the wheel H, to work the pinion,I,) in the desired direction, when the eccentrics, C,

and G, will give t-he point of the needle a `circular motion, so thatits point, carrying the yarn, will pass through the loop on one of' thepoints of the hoop and remove it from the hoop, while, as it passesaround,

the other point of the hoop will pass between the yarn and needle, sothat when the needle is drawn back through the loop it leaves a newstitch on the last point of the hoop and so on, to any desired extent,and while the two eccentrics, C, and G, give motion to the needle, theeccentric, C, gives' a reciprocating motion to the circle B, which bymeans of the wedge shaped cams, z, 7L, Zz', L, which open, and close,the clamps, CZ, CZ, CZ, CZ, (in pairs, alternately) so as to allow thework to yield to the force of the needle, and circle M, to produce thefeed, and the same motion of the cam, C, by means of the tooth, g,revolves the circle, L, which by the pin, 0, cause the needle to takeoft' two loops at a time, to effect the narrowing.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination of the eyepointed needle, (D,) with the hoops, (a,ca) when constructed, arranged, and made to operate, substantially, asherein described.

2. I claim the method of opening and closing the clamps, (CZ, CZ, cZ,6Z,) for holding the hoops, (a, (n) by the use of the cams, or wedges,on the circle, B, when worked by the saine eccentric which works theneedle, when the whole is constructed, arranged, and made to operate,substantially, as herein described.

3. I also claim the method of narrowing by giving a longitudinal motionto the archbar, F, when constructed, arranged, and made to operate,substantially, as herein described.

ARASMUS FRENCH.

Witnesses:

J. W. BISSETT, R. FITZGERALD.

